Mid-Sprint, a building-inspections manager adds an item to the Product Backlog and expects the Sprint Backlog to change automatically so Developers drop current work. What should the Product Owner do?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Adding a sticky note to the fridge does not magically rewrite tonight's dinner. The Product Backlog can take new work; the Sprint Backlog is the team's plan for this Sprint. If something truly must interrupt, that is a conversation about the Sprint Goal—not an automatic swap.
Full Explanation
The Product Owner is accountable for the Product Backlog; Developers are accountable for the Sprint Backlog as their plan toward the Sprint Goal. Inserting an item on the Product Backlog updates upcoming order—it does not by itself change the work already selected for the Sprint. Mid-Sprint disruption, if warranted, is a collaborative decision that protects or renegotiates the Sprint Goal. Automatic cancellation or a year-long freeze are both extremes that ignore empiricism.